Restaurants in Martinez

Ginger, saffron, and other aromatic spices mingle in Hot Basil Cafe's kitchen, where chefs create dishes inspired by Indian and Thai cuisines. The kitchen maestros prepare Thai dishes such as cashew-nut chicken and spicy catfish, filling place settings alongside tiger prawns and cream pepper chicken baked in an Indian clay oven. They round out each meal with Thai-style iced coffee and indian fruit lassis, as well as wines and ice creams.

Aqueous hues of neon blue and purple wash over visitors to Agave Grill & Cantina as they take a seat beneath a larger-than-life strip of sinuous camera film. This cinematic environ hosts cuisine blending traditional Mexican dishes with Spanish influence, mimicking the confluence of cultures in Latin America. In addition to steaming enchiladas and burritos, chefs create entrees of tender marinated carnitas or steak picado covered in cayenne-pepper sauce. Schools of seafood populate the kitchen's specialty roster, from fresh-fish tacos to paella—in which simmering saffron rice is surrounded by sausage, scallops, prawns, and other morsels. Beneath bas-reliefs of Aztec and Mayan-style masks, the staff serves libations from a lengthy library of tequila and mescal, neat or spun into margaritas.

Agave also boasts an attached nightclub, where spiraling lights surround the revelers within. DJs spin tunes in two different rooms, one devoted to salsa and Latin rock and the other thrumming with R&B and house music—which is not when furnace and faucet sounds sync up to the tune of “Born in the U.S.A.”

Alegio Chocolaté uses cocoa made on a plantation, eschewing anything but the most basic ingredients, and sends palates halfway around the world—to a small African island, for instance. The volcanic São Tomé and Príncipe houses the plantation of Italian born agronomist Claudio Corallo. He and his family raise plants that are descended from Africa's first cacao population, which arrived in 1819. Their traditionalist methods eschew using additives such as vanilla or soy lecithin. Claudio, who has been featured on the BBC's Full on Food, is the main subject of Alegio Chocolaté's tours, since he sends the shop his storied creations to accompany its other handmade wares.

When you take a look at Turkish Kitchen’s menu, you’ll find familiar offerings such as kebabs and falafel. But your eye might also linger on intriguing items ranging from Turkish-style calzones stuffed with spicy lamb to iskender, a dish made from bread cubes blanketed with shaved doner, tomato sauce, and butter. Chefs use traditional Turkish recipes for everything they prepare, including a rotating selection of daily specials. Be sure to save room for the baklava, which East Bay Express named the best in the area thanks to its “butter-soaked phyllo, thick chunks of roasted pistachio, and a plentitude of honey saturating every supple layer.”